1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process and apparatus for applying fitments to a container. Specifically, the present invention relates to a process and apparatus for simultaneously applying fitments to two cartons.
2. Description of the Related Art
Forming, filling and sealing machines have been used for decades in the food packaging industry to package items such as milk for distribution to retail outlets such as grocery stores. Generally these machines are fed a paperboard sheet laminated with heat-sealable plastic which is formed to a container configuration, filled with a specific contents and then sealed for distribution elsewhere. A gabled top milk carton is a specific example of the containers formed, filled and sealed by these machines.
Previously, the contents of these containers were dispensed by tearing open one side of the top of the carton to form a pourable spout. However once open, the carton was unable to be tightly resealed to prevent spillage of the contents or the ingress or egress of gases. To alleviate these problems, the packaging industry devised a new generation of cartons integrated with fitments in order to dispense the contents in a resealable manner. This has forced the packaging industry to either design completely new forming, filling and sealing machines to accommodate the application of the fitment with the container, or design a fitment applicator as an add-on component for existing machines.
Most of the fitment applicators were designed to place the fitment in a pre-cut hole of the container at one station in the machine and then to attach the fitment to the container through ultrasound, heat or the like at another station in the machine. One clearly apparent disadvantage of such a dual station fitment applicator is the space requirement for two additional stations on an already crowded forming, filling and sealing machine. Another critical disadvantage to dual station fitment applicators is the potential for displacement of the fitment from the container during transportation from the insertion station to the attachment station. Still another critical disadvantage to dual station fitment applicators is the necessity to index the conveyance of the containers to two additional stations. Recent fitment applicators have attempted to respond to some of these disadvantages, however, there is still a need for a fitment applicator which alleviates all of the disadvantages of the dual station applicators.
Additionally, current multiple container processing packaging machines such as TETRA REX.RTM. packaging machines available from Tetra Pak, Incorporated of Chicago, Ill., have created difficulties in the use of rotating anvils such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,374. Multiple container processing machines index two or more containers simultaneously along the container path from one station to the next. Current rotating anvils cannot clear the walls of adjacent containers thereby preventing the use of rotating anvils on multiple container processing machines.